Texas Takes Stock Of Ike's Impact

Rescue Crews Search For Survivors; Millions Without Power; Thousands Of Homes Flooded

(CBS/AP)  Southwest Louisiana was spared a direct hit, but Ike's surge of water penetrated some 30 miles inland, flooding thousands of homes, breaching levees and soaking areas still recovering from Labor Day's Hurricane Gustav. Officials said the flooding was worse than it was during 2005's Hurricane Rita, which hit the Louisiana-Texas line.

But there was good news: A stranded freighter with 22 men aboard made it through the storm safely, and a tugboat was on the way to save them. And an evacuee from Calhoun County gave birth to a girl in the restroom of a shelter with the aid of an expert in geriatric psychiatry who delivered his first baby in two decades. She named the baby Katrina.

Ike's Impact On Economy May Be Less Than Feared

A small change in Ike's course just before it crashed into the Texas coast may have spared the state and the nation from significantly worse economic damage.

The center of the storm appeared to miss the vital concentration of oil and petrochemical refineries in the Houston area, and the surge of water rolling into the nation's second-largest port was also weaker than predicted.

"If the eye of that storm had been as much as 20 miles east, we would have a lot more havoc and damage than we did," said Chris Johnson, a senior vice president at commercial property insurer FM Global.

Much of the region's industrial recovery will depend on how quickly power companies can restore electricity; that, in turn, will depend on how quickly the utilities can get employees back to work.

"I received a call from one of my employees, who was evacuated to San Antonio. He was just informed that his house was totally destroyed," said Bill Reid, the CEO of Ohmstede, which builds and repairs refineries. Reid, who lives in Kemah, Texas, about 35 miles south of Houston, said his town was without power and water, and still had 15 feet of flooding.

The port of Houston, the nation's second-largest, was without power Saturday but expects to reopen Monday morning if the Coast Guard finds no obstacles in the shipping lanes. Some empty cargo containers were blown about, but not too far.

"All the terminals did very well and we had only very minor damage, like fencing being blown down," said port spokeswoman Argentina James.

Refineries as far east as Louisiana were affected by the storm, however. The tourist island town of Galveston was flooded and office buildings in downtown Houston were damaged, but it could have been worse.

"It appears that, at least from our facility and operations standpoint, the impact is a little less than we did anticipate," said Mike Smid, chief executive of trucking company YRC North America, which runs Yellow and Roadway lines. The company evacuated its 900 employees ahead of the storm.

Preliminary estimates put the damage at $8 billion or more, but a precise accounting of the storm's wrath was far from complete.

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Photos: Irascible Ike

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Travelers Insurance had teams of adjusters, claims agents and logistics people with laptops and ladders in San Antonio who are planning to leave for Houston Sunday, said spokesman Matthew S. Bordonaro.

"It will be some time before we have any damage estimates," said Mike Siemienas, a spokesman for Allstate Corp. "Our focus right now is to get into the hardest-hit areas once it is safe to do so."

Retail gasoline prices jumped Saturday based on Ike's collision with refinery rich regions of Texas and Louisiana, threatening to shut down a variety of energy complexes in the Gulf of Mexico for days.

Some refineries may remain shut for days, even if there was no serious wind damage or flooding. Gas prices nationwide rose nearly 6 cents a gallon to $3.733, according to industry data.

Service stations around Texas and elsewhere raised prices sharply even before the storm hit, and lines to fill up could be seen as far away as Dallas.

Ike was about twice the size of Hurricane Gustav, which rammed into the Louisiana shore two weeks ago. While the storm surge was less severe than what had been predicted, National Weather Service officials said a the highest - a surge of about 13.5 feet - was seen at Sabine Pass in Texas.

The Sabine Pipe Line, a crucial natural gas conduit, has been shut down, according to the CME Group, parent of the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Shell Oil said Saturday morning that crews would fly over oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico Saturday or Sunday to assess damage. The U.S. subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell PLC said it could take days to weeks before full production could resume at its facilities.

Valero Energy Corp. spokesman Bill Day said crews would soon get in to inspect refineries in Houston and Texas City, which remained shut down. Both, plus another refinery in Port Arthur, lost power in the storm, he said.

Alcoa said its alumina refinery in Point Comfort, Texas, 125 miles southwest of Houston, will begin the restart process on Sunday.

The storm pushed a surge of water through the Houston shipping channel, a complex of oil and petrochemical refineries, and the nation's second-largest port.

Windows were ripped out of office buildings in downtown Houston. At the 75-story JPMorganChase tower, the tallest building in Texas, curtains could be seen flapping in the breeze and glass shards littered the streets below.

Power was out in much of Houston, although the lights stayed on in the city's huge medical center, a sprawling complex with about a dozen hospitals that attract patients from around the world.

Flights in and out of Houston's two major airports were suspended on Friday and not likely to resume until Sunday.

Southwest Airlines said it would shut down flights at Dallas Love Field, its home airport, for several hours Saturday as Dallas

240 miles north of Houston - was expected to take a glancing blow from Ike.

Officials at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, the largest hub for American Airlines, warned that winds and heavy rain could cause delays or cancelations.

Air service to smaller cities in Texas, including Corpus Christi and Harlingen, was also disrupted.

[txgrouch2006]

Just 10 miles east of me - still 30 miles from the storm track - some friends of mine have no water or electricity.

I can''t even find out what happened anywhere east of Houston. City websites are down, so you can''t even look for information there.

If Katrina had hit Houston, this entire corner of the state would be uninhabitable. Not because of damaged buildings, but because of the COMPLETE breakdown of the utility infrastructure. If just a cat 2 storm did this much damage, a cat 5 storm would knock out power and water for MONTHS.

[txgrouch2006]

The BIG STORY about Ike is how such a mild storm has COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN THE ENTIRE MULTI-COUNTY AREA.

I live 20 miles west of Houton. Ike passed over 20 miles to the east of Houston. That''s 40 plus miles away from a category 2 storm.

And yet, entire neighborhoods are still totally dark in this area. Even streetlights and traffic lights are out. My neighborhood is one of the FEW with power and water.

ALL grocery stores are shut down. I found only one with electricity, and it was closed anyway. People will start running out of food soon.

One gas station has gas, and there was a long line of cars waiting to fill up. Good thing I filled up before the storm.

Telephone service is out. The land line gets a dial tone, but you can''t dial anywhere without getting a fast busy signal. Cell phone service is overloaded, my cell phone can''t find the network.

Schools are closed until WEDNESDAY for the whole county.

WHAT IF A REAL HURRICANE CAME HERE? We''d be living like cavemen for weeks, maybe months.

SOMETHING IS REALLY MESSED UP ABOUT THIS. The power grid should not have gotten this much damage from such a mild storm.

[jazzer9]

A person is very selfish if they do not care enough to save their own life to leave a deadly situation-yet-want someone else to walk into a deadly situation to save them. If the rescuer loses his/her life then their family suffers. That is selfish and wrong and I would get to them when I get to them. In addition-any caregiver that didn''t leave and the people they were caring for died-the caregiver should be charged with murder. If the people/person didn''t die the caregiver should be charged with attempted murder. ZERO TOLERENCE.

[erasmus81]

"And, the people living there live in houses built on piers and use boats for transporation. I seriously doubt they need to be rescued." Posted by tuckerndfw at 08:17 AM : Sep 14, 2008

That''s good, because if it was left up to me, I''d leave the silly fools there.

I know, I''m mean and heartless.
Oh,and vicious too.

[ralan40]

Just a few days ago, Many people decided to face a natural weather event that happens on a regular basis. How wonderful that they''ll now live to help us choose our next leader.

..let us now blame the government for not better enabling the idoits who ignored the warnings to evacuate.

[slim1h2o]

Posted by tuckerndfw at 07:46 AM : Sep 14, 2008

How''s that elephant? LOL See you made it thru ok.

[noaanhc]

Everyone of those idiots should foot the bill for their rescue

Posted by CarlyLaine

Another idead,impose a $10,000 fine on everyone of those idiots who failed to ignore the mandatory order to evacuate.

[noaanhc]

Everyone of those idiots should foot the bill for
their rescuse.

Posted by CarlyLaine

I agree with you totally with on that.

[messiahx4eve]

Hmmmm, seems to me that since these storms have been going on for years and the towns and cities have been being rebuilt as far back as 1900''s, how is it that prices were never affected then like they are now, within SECONDS of warnings. It can''t just be technological, could it just be an extremely flimsy, see-thru excuse to continue gouging the American public? If the world ever comes to an end during our life time, I pray that the oil companies, utility companies, and all media companies are the LAST to go and may it be YEARS before they perish and expire, one by one. If having it all is not enough, when will enough actually BE ENOUGH?

[carlylaine]

The jerks chose to stay, they should accept the consequences of their own choices. Where is personal responsiblility? Every one of the idiots should foot the bill for their rescue.

[airboatboy1]

Yes, "negro vote", I think that is exactly what Nagin did. I don''t recall ever seeing so many white people being rescued or stranded. Keep up your brilliance.

[jodyrae4]

Can''t feel for the people that didn''t leave... You ignore the warning to get out (LIKE KATRINA!) and stay! Is just stupid...I feel for all the rescue people that have to put their lives in danger for these people.

[cncrndctzn]

I lost everything I owned in Katrina in New Orleans (I evacuated) and I saw first hand what can happen during one of these hurricanes. I''m sorry...people who ignore the warnings to evacuate are not only foolish, they''re selfish. I think they should bill these people for the cost of their rescue.

[hawkman1001-2009]

Maybe the ACLU won people the right to refuse evacuation, but that doesn''t mean that people shouldn''t be held accountable for their gross stupidity. Anybody who stayed behind and has to be rescued should get a bill for the full amount of the rescue. If they don''t pay, they should be taken to civil court. I''ll bet it would only have to happen and publicized a few times before people got the message.

The trouble is that many of these people are as clueless and paranoid as Bozworth4 and would think this is some sort of new government plot to get them.

Ain''t the USA wonderful?

[legacyabq]

Did Mayor Nagin dynamite the levees to drive out white residents to make New Orleans a "chocolate city" ? Posted by Negro-Vote
_____________________________________________________
Gee, hahaha..
Even if he did, um, duh, it was the poor, black neighborhoods that got flooded.. So if anything, they were the ones to flee new orleans.. Moron..

[pensacola98]

The ACLU successfully won the right for a resident to legally decline evacuation. It is a constitutional right to be stupid and expose yourself and family to danger.

Basic services, like waste water treatment, water, electricity, telephone and safe public roads, are considered essential for a community to survive and civil defense is dedicated to restoration of any lost services after a disaster.

[notfooled]

Another tragedy - we can only hope that FEMA will let someone else helps these folks.

[rowdy6680]

I would bet bozworth that you are younger than I am...I could be wrong..but maybe not. I''m the last person that would want to forcibly want to enforce some things on the people of the US. Make sure you read the posts about common sense. How many people here are actually stupid enough when experts tell you, "Your life is in immediate danger if you don''t leave the area" would actually stay? So far it seems like 100,000 or so out of a couple million. And here now we have to WASTE rescue resources on those that wouldn''t leave. I don''t wish the government to tell anyone or all your BS about camps and whatever...you''re more misguided than I am. People that have intelligence, common sense...do not ignore a mandatory evacuation....on the other hand...a "we would advise you to leave/evacuate" OK...ignore that even if you don''t want to leave. They warned and gave a Mandatory Evacuation notice for a reason. Rag on me all you want...the bottom line is they were warned...I''d make everyone they have to rescue that didn''t heed the warning pay for their rescue even.

[rowdy6680]

Yep...that''s what''s missing...COMMON SENSE...dovestar...how ridiculous you are at even suggesting I think their should be some law mandating that those that were too stubborn to leave and cry out to be rescued be rescued by law. I appreciate the laugh. I also wish you well in Houston because I''m sure you are in a bit of a mess now. BUT the bottom line is as others have said..life is more valuable than "stuff" and there comes a time when a decision has to be made...I just find it ridiculous that rescue personnel are now having to rescue the a$$es of those that didn''t follow the order to evacuate! You can replace "stuff" and until I learn otherwise...I''ll keep my belief in the fact that you can''t replace a life.

[kennergirl]

Nagin didn''t dynamite anything (except his career in politics).